Quote:
Originally Posted by DonRotolo
Wire, even stranded wire, should be protected from bending to the extent possible. When wires must flex in their function, maintain as large a bend radius as possible. Flexing wires must not be bundled, or if they are then very loosely. Best practice is to end all binding just past the fixed end supports, enclosing the unbundled wires in a flexible covering large enough to allow the wires to move freely within. Highly-flexing wires should use finer stranding. Solid wire cannot be permitted to flex at all.
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I just wanted to expand on this a bit more. Different wires definitely flex more/less easily - this is highly dependent on the insulation used and the number of strands. Make sure you use the right wire for the right job. When you look at most robots in the competition, a majority of the wire doesn't need to flex (aside from intentional bends to follow a fixed support). For that reason, most of the wire we use is stiff. Once you've twisted it together, it becomes even stiffer. This allows you to make wire runs that don't require much support, and won't sag and flow all over the place.
As Don notes, however, in cases where flexing is required, you don't want to use stiff wire - it's more likely to break than more flexible wire. Keep your bend radius decently large (no smaller than the spool the wire came on as an absolute minimum) - from a safety standpoint, it can never be too large.
Further, include strain relief and emergency releases on any moving wire. You don't want the wire stretching very tight, and if something happens (like another robot's arm somehow hooks your wire run), you want a built in release that will come apart safely, like Anderson's PowerPole connectors.
Speaking of other robots hooking your wire... Make sure your wire is controlled at all times! Watch for pinch points on your mechanisms and keep your wires away from them. When dealing with some mechanisms, it can be easy to run wire so it's taught one or both extremes... but then it becomes very loose elsewhere in the motion. When running the mechanism, you might even notice that it forms a nice large loop. Sure, that's a large bend radius (which is good), but it's also a huge chance for other robots to hook you and pull. If your wire needs to be loose in the middle of motion in order to be taught at both ends, control it with energy chain or other methods. I think I'm going to upload some good and bad examples of this for everyone here... I'll get them linked on here when available.